UFC 125 takes place Jan. 1 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The main card of the stacked lineup airs live on pay-per-view.

Davis, a former pro boxer who fights for the 15th time under the UFC banner, recently broke the news to MMAjunkie.com that he planned to drop a weight class in his next bout. Fellow striker Stephens immediately took to Twitter and openly campaigned to be his first opponent.

With UFC matchmaker Joe Silva’s apparent stamp of approval, a potential slugfest now is slated for the UFC’s first-of-the-year card.

Stephens long has been one of the UFC’s most exciting prospects, but a recent split-decision loss to Melvin Guillard proved a methodical and largely lackluster affair. The Midwest native, who entered the bout on a two-fight win streak, now is based in San Diego, where his ground game is catching up to his dynamic striking skills that have led to two “KO of the Night” bonuses and a “Fight of the Night” award.

Davis, meanwhile, recently suffered a submission loss to Nate Diaz at UFC 118, and it marked his third loss in his past four fights. Prior to the recent skid, “The Ultimate Fighter 2″ cast member went on a 13-1 run that included a 7-1 mark in the UFC. Davis now fights on American soil for just the third time in his past 11 fights.

Like Stephens, Davis is one of the UFC’s top bonus winners. He’s racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars with three “Fight of the Night” bonuses, one “Submission of the Night” award and a “KO of the Night” bonus.

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.